Does the priest have any specific dates like excerpts from birth records and such? That would be of great help.

Sergej, thank you much for your reply. I believe that I have birthdates and perhaps dates of arrival at ellis island for cvijeta, ciro, and perhaps vaso or at least some of his brothers. I may also have an arrival date for my paternal grandfather, john ostrozovic. any suggestions for the next step? by the way, john ostrozovic's wife, my grandma, anna, always said that her husband was slovak, and they did live in trebisov, slovakia--but ostrozovic certainly does not sound like a slovak name. every serb my dad knew assumed he was serb. (to clarify a bit, stegnaic and dubroja definitly were from dalmatia, maternal side of family)

What you can do is write the archives there e.g. with the dates. You could also contact the FHLC of the LDS church since they microfilmed most of the things there in that region. Go to http://www.familysearch.org and see in the Family History Library if that area is availible. Otherwise just write to the Archives there.

I would have to take a shot in the dark here and suggest you contact the archives in the KOTOR region of Montenegro. Many families there are mixed Montenegrin/Dalmatian. You mentioned ties to Dalmatia and a Serbian priest. Were all families Orthodox (practicing or non practicing, only asking for research suggestion purposes)? Also, the dates you have - before or after circa 1910? Might make a difference as to where you can search for records. Another thing - if any of these families were orthodox do you know what family saint they celebrated (slava)?
BTW, there is an OSTROZOVIC fine wine producer in SLOVAKIA http://www.ostrozovic.sk/ . Check it out, you never know.
As for DUBROJA, the surname can be found throughout the former Yugoslavian states. With the names you listed, I would take a chance with the afore mentioned archives.
STEGNAIC should be Montenegrin, but you may want to try the croatian version of STEGNJAIC since you mentioned Dalmatia.
Seems I'm making this more complicated for you instead of aiding in your search:) Hope any of this helps. Be sure to let us know how you did and if there's anything else we can do!

Good luck in your search -
Danica
Srpsko Rodoslovno Društvo
Serbian Genealogical Society

Hi Danica, you are a sweetheart to get this info to me. Have not done much lately in terms of gathering my info, re dates, etc. Dubroja and Stegnaic were orthodox and celebrated Sveti Jovan. I actually tried to contact the Ostrozovic winery people in Slovakia a few years ago but to no avail. You have inspired me to try again. Do you happen to know an address for archives un Kotor? Thank you so much again!

Hi,

Glad to lend a hand:) And you're in luck. You should've mentioned the family saint before. I got a hit on http:/www.benkovac.org.yu which, among other helpful info on the region, provides users with a list of Serbian surnames in the Dalmatian region:

Dubroja can be found in Benkovac, Karin, Zadar, Biljane gornje, Е½egar, Smoković, Tinj, Smilčić, Islam Grčki and known family saints are Sv. Nikola, Sv. Jovan, Sv. Kozma i Damjan

Stegnjaić can be found in Kula Atlagić, Benkovačko Selo, Biljane and known family saint is Sv. Nikola. This is the Croatian version that I mentioned and should not be confused with Stegnaic, but there may be something to this?

What next? Well, you only stated that you were looking for the surnames. Are you looking for origin or are you hoping to trace your family tree? Are you looking for living relatives in the area or perhaps all of the above?

Your next steps should be contacting the respective archives in the area for gen research or hitting the online white pages for the area for existing relatives. Where are you working from? This is still under our "jurisdiction" so feel free to continue looking to us for help and also contact the Benkovac site for more info on the area.

Feels good, doesn't it? Good luck and keep us updated. Please, remember to post any findings you may want to share on this and other sites:)

Danica, it feels wonderful! The thing that would make it even better is if I could speak, read, and write Serbian! (I am teaching myself but of course, it does'nt happen fast enough! Thank you for the Benkovac site and all of the info. I can figure out a little. I certainly will let you know how things go. I must check my Ellis Island info, etc. for dates. I am in Indianapolis, IN USA. Oh yes, I am conducting the search for all of the reasons you mentioned. We know a lot about our family, but not enough. My older son has taught himself Serbian and to play the accordian (plays mostly Serbian music!) It's so beautiful it makes me cry! At home the adults spoke Serbian, Slovak, and Hungarian but they did not teach us, maybe because it assured them of privacy in their conversations. Too bad!

Sounds like you are very in touch with your roots and well on your way to making a success of your gen research. I hope to see that family tree complete someday soon.
In the meantime, may I be so bold as to suggest that you would be the perfect candidate for establishing an official chapter of the Serbian Genealogy Society in Indiana... We have made the terms and requirements quite strict, but simple and very easy to comply with so let me know if you're ever interested.
Good luck with the search and be sure to let us know of your progress. If you need any help with Serbian translations just give us a shout:)

Hi Danica, how flattering and intrigueing! Please send me more info. Currenty I work three jobs so I don't have a tremendous amount of free time, and my Serbian is nearly non-existant, but I would love to know more. This is a thrilling adventure. I think I just found out that grandpa John's real name was Ivan! Would'nt you think that this is something you would always have known? But you know when our people came to America they were so anxious to be americanized; we are blessed to have the traditions that we still have! Bernadette